Under the fourth phase of the National Saffron Mission,Jammu and Kashmir government has distributed cheques worth Rs 1.68 crore among 371 saffron growers at south Kashmir's Pampore town. State Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir gave the cheques at a function yesterday,an official spokesman said. An amount of Rs 376 crore has been earmarked for bringing 3,715 hectares of land under saffron cultivation as part of the mission programme,he said. Rs 10.60 crore was distributed among 2,325 saffron growers and 297 hectares of land was brought under saffron cultivation during the first three phases,he added.
